ChriStiAnity AnSWerS the 21St Century - Cornerstone Curriculum

World Views of the Western World
An Interdisciplinary World View Approach
A Three Fold Purpose
The spread of Christianity during the first century throughout the world was no accident. Under
the direction of the Holy Spirit men and women of God were ready to give a logical defense for the
hope they had within them. It is said of the Apostle Paul that he reasoned … persuaded … spoke
boldly … explained … convinced … warned … pleaded … gave a defense for … and contended for
… truth in the synagogue as well as in the marketplace day by day.
To Stand
To give our children the ability to stand against the thoughts and ideas of the secular culture
“People today are all mixed up in twisted ideas. They live in a welter of garbled voices, looking
for directions from papers that come floating down like Alice in Wonderland’s cards, scattered like
languages, from different thought-forms, different philosophies, all say that there is no truth and no
absolute upon which to live, no base for any choice of a moral standard. So whether one reads the
papers upside down left to right, knows one word in three, it doesn’t matter. There’ll be a new wind
in a few days to blow more into one’s head. Perhaps you can even stop looking for papers among the
falling leaves. Just turn to the last piece of television advice, given in the most colorful or unforgettable
way — whatever has stuck in the memory. One way is as good as any other! All law is obsolete.
There are no more standards.” Yes, Edith Schaeffer is right. This is the advice given to and by our
culture.
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves , and carried about by every wind of doctrine,
by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in
all aspects into Him… Ephesians 3:14-15
To Speak
To give our children an adequate and logical defense for the hope they have within them …
There is no question that we are living in very difficult days. The spiritual battles are real and becoming
much more intense. The clash of ideas is evident in nearly every discipline. The different world
views are certainly waging war. Our tendency might be to retreat… to pull back from culture. What
are we to do?
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the
flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing
raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ… II
Corinthians 10: 3-5
But sanctify Christ as Lord in your heats, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an
account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence. I Peter 3:15
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us… II Corinthians 5:20
To Restore
To give our children the ability to take the truth of Christianity into the various disciplines …
And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought and in dry places, and make strong your bones.
You shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And your ancient ruins shall be
rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of buildings that have laid waste for many generations; and you shall be
called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. Isaiah 48: 11-12
viii —The Cornerstone Curriculum Project © 2000 David Quine